Sign



Feb- 25, 1941- J. s. VAN AusDALL 2,232,815

SIGN

.Filed Jan. 50, 1939 jy" 4m),

Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES SIGN John s. van Ausdau, oak Park,In., assigner@ Advertising Posters Company Application January 30,1939,' Serial No. 253,535

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to siens, and particularly to illuminateddisplay devices wherein a display panel is provided with a displaypattern and a lamp behind the panel is utilized for illuminating certainparts of the pattern. In devices of this character it is customary toutilize opaque and more or less transparent coatings for the purpose fdelineatine the display pattern. The `display pattern may. 0i eeurse.'take n greet variety of forms. It may consist entirely of a legend, Q1?may be composed partially of a legend and partially of a pictorialrepresentation, or may be entirely of a pictorial representation.

YIt is the principal purpose 0f this invention t0 provide a device ofthis character whereby novel illuminating effects maybe obtained. withthe usual stationary or moving light Source. By moving light source Imean a light source which directs a moving band of light across thepanel. A typical. device embodying the present invention may constitutea lamp. a easing for the lamp and a display panel mounted' said easingin spaced relation te the lamp. lA light screen may. in eertain Aformsof the invention, be placed between the lamp and the panel, and thislight screen may contain various light obstructing portions whereby tocause moving bands of light to pass in certain directions across therear of the dis play panel. The present invention is directedparticularly to modioation of the panel structure, whereby to obtain anovel cooperation with the lamp and the light screen.

The features and advantages of the present invention will appear morefully as the description proceeds, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown.It is to be understood, however, that the drawing and description areillustrative only, and are not to be taken as lim- 40 iting theinvention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic front view of adisplay sign embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 3-3of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the front layer of the display panel; a

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the rear layer of the display panelshown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View through a three layer displaypanel, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View showing the surface of the display panelillustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring now to the drawing, thepresent in vention is embodied in adisplay advertising device, which, for purposes of illustration,.isshown as composing'a casing I0 which is made up ofv a 5, base I I, ahousing member I2 and a front panel I3. Within the casing I0 I mount -alamp I4. This lamp may be separated from the front panel I3 by a movinglight s creensuch asshown at I5. In the, present invention, the lightscreen I5 is `10 illustrated as a cylinder having spaced spirallyrunning lines I6 of substantial width, these lines I6 being covered withan opaque coating.v yThe spaces between the lines I6 arer desirablytranslucent, although they may be colored with a suit- 15 abletranslucent coloring matter such -as is wellknown in the lndustry.

The moving screen I5 is supported upon a standard I'I so that itfmay becaused to rotate by the ilow of air upwardly around the lamp I4. 20 Forthis purpose,I the top of thecylindricalscreen I5 is closed by a coverI8 that has vanes I9 formed thereon, the vanes I9 being cutout of thematerial of the cover and turned upward at an angle so that air flowingthrough the openings will strike the vanes and develop enough force toturn the screen I5.

It will be understood that the above mecha-v nism describes only oneform of device for creating travelling streaks or pencilsof light. Anysuitable power means other than thatdescribed maybe used. l y. ,.Y

Referring now to the construction of the front panel I3, thisconstruction is illustratedbest in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. It will be notedthat the panel is made up of two layers 20 and 2l, although I do notlimit myself to two layers. A larger number may be used. The surfaces 22and 23 of the layers 20 and 2l are roughened so that each is providedwith a multiplicity of lenses in the form of dome-like projections. Thelayers 20 and 2l are made of glass and desirably the projections areformed in molding the glass. The projectionsor lenses on the layer 20are indicated by the numeral 24, while those on the layer 2| arenumbered 25. The surfaces of the layers 20 and 2l which are nearest thelight source are smooth and flat. These surfaces are used for thepurpose of applying pattern delineating coatings of the particular typedesired. For example, in Fig. 3, I have shown such a coating at 26 inthe form of an opaque paint, while at 21 I have indicated a coloredtranslucent coating, and at 28 I have indicated an absence of coatingbetween the two layers 20 and 2|. The coatings may be arranged 55 sothat the pattern is formed by that part 28 which is devoid of coating.An' outline around the pattern or an addition to the pattern may beproduced by the translucent colored coating 21 and the coating 26 maydarken the balance of the surface to form a background.

It will be noted from an examination of Figs. 3, 4 and 5 that theprojections 24 on the layer 20 are much larger than the projections 25on the layer 2|. I nd this particularly advantageous in conjunction withthe moving light screen I 5 to producev unusually attractive il-lusionsof movement on the surface of the display panel. As the light bands passacross the panel, lthe light rays are, of course, directed through therear layer 2l at a continuously changing angle. The diagonal arrangementof the lines I6 0n the cylinder l5 causes vertical and horizontalshifting of the light bands. The light in passing from the small lensesor projections 25 is deflected, and, in passing from the large lenses 24on the front layer 2U, the light will be further deiiected. Theresulting effect is that the relatively slow motion of the light bandtraveling across the display panel is translated into a very rapidapparent movement of light as seen from the front of the display panel.The direction of the light shifts continuously, owing to the differencein the angles at which the light rays from the small projections 25strike the front panel and are directed from the large projections 24.The resulting effect is a shimmer, or dancing light, over theilluminated part of the display panel.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, I have illustrated here a three layerdisplay panel, and I have further indicated the use of patterndelineating coatings in a particularly advantageous manner. A frontpanel 30 has a rouglhened front surface 3| and a smooth rear surface 32.The smooth rear surface is coated with a translucent coating 33 whichmay be, for example, blue in color. A pattern delineafting opening 34 isleft in the blue coating. A second layer 35 also has a roughened surfaceindicated at 36 which faces forward. The rear surface 3l of the layer 35has a blue translucent coating 38 thereon and a pattern delineatingcoating 39 which may be orange in color, for example. A red bordercoating 40 is provided vbetween the orange 39 and the blue 38. A rearlayer 4I also has a roughened front surface 42 and it has a rear opaquecoating 43 on its smooth rear surface. The opaque coating 43 is removedto provide a pattern at 44, The

roughening of the front faces of the layers 3U, 35 and 4l may be of anysuitable type, such as that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but desirably it isof a random pattern, such as shown in Fig. 7, so that the projectionsand recesses do not match up in the several layers. When illuminatedfrom the rear, this multiple panel arrangement spreads the light passingthrough the clear opening 44 so as to illuminate the entire front of thepanel, the general illumination being, of course, through the bluecoatings 38 and 33. The pattern opening 34, however, in the blue coating33 will receive most of the direct light entering the clear opening 34and will thus be much more brilliant than the rest of rthe panel. Thecolor of the pattern will, of course, correspond to the coloring of theorange layer 39 and any border deiiection of light due to the rougheningof the surfaces of the layers 3-5 and 4I will be shaded by the bordercoating 40.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as `new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: V

1. A display advertising device comprising in combination a casing, alamp therein, a display panel, said display panel comprising a pluralityof layers of glass, each layer having its surface remote from the lampcovered with hills and valleys of substantial magnitude, and its surfacenearest thelamp smooth, the layer closest the lamp having an opaquecoating on its smooth surface, said coating being absent over a portionof the surface to produce a display pattern, and each layer farther fromthe lamp than said rst named layer having a translucent coating on itssmooth surface, said coating on at least one layer being arranged toproduce said display pattern in alignment with the pattern on said firstnamed layer.

2. A display advertising device of the character described comprising afront glass plate having its front falce formed with a multiplicity ofhills and valleys of substantial magnitude, a second glass plate, inrear of said first fplate and having one face provided with amultiplicity of lenses, a light source in rear of said second plate andmeans for varying the angle of light to the individual lenses on saidsecond plate whereby to produce a dancing light effect from the frontplate, said front plate having a smooth rear face and a patterndelin'eating coating on said rear face, i

JOHN S. VAN AUSDALL.

